Reading the Old & New Testament Commentary

Do you appreciate straightforwardness? Well, nothing is much more straightforward than a commentary set called Reading the Old Testament Commentary. They’ve made their point that if you’re reading the Old Testament, you should use this commentary. And what do you do if you’re reading the New Testament? They have a commentary for that as well.

In this post, we’ll learn about the editors and authors of this commentary set. We’ll learn about the methodology these academics used in their writing process. Lastly, we’ll take a look inside the commentary in the Olive Tree Bible App. That way, you can have a well-rounded picture of what this commentary has to offer.

The Editors

One of the easiest ways to learn about a commentary series is to research the editors. You can find short bios about the editors below.

Editor of Reading the Old Testament Commentary Series

Reading the Old Testament Commentary Series is edited by Mark E. Biddle. He is currently the Russell T. Cherry Professor of Old Testament at Baptist Theological Seminary in Richmond, VA. He holds a handful of degrees:

• BAH in English and Religion from Samford University
• MDiv from The Southern Baptist Seminary
• ThM from Rueschlikon Baptist Theological Seminary
• DrTheol from the University of Zurich

Then, when it comes to his publications, there is also no shortage. Over the years, Biddle has published six books, ten translated volumes (German to English), and more than 150 articles, book reviews, and lectures.

But his experience doesn’t stop in the classroom. He has also pastored at churches in the United States and Europe, keeping all his hard study applicable to the lives of others.

Lastly, not only did Biddle edit this series, he also authored the volume on Judges.

Editor of Reading the New Testament Commentary Series

Reading the New Testament Commentary Series is edited by Charles H. Talbert. He is distinguished professor of religion at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. Talbert received his PhD from Vanderbilt University. Along with his work on this series, he’s also the author of many other books:

• Ephesians and Colossians in the Paideia series
• Matthew in the Paideia series
• Reading the Sermon on the Mount

Not only did Talbert edit this series, he also produced several of its volumes. He authored Reading Luke, Reading John and Johannine Epistles, Reading Acts, and Reading 1 and 2 Corinthians.

A Message from the Editors

Now, let’s hear from the editors themselves. Nearly every commentary series will include a message from the editors. These notes can give you key information about the kind of commentary you’re looking at, and whether it is a good fit for you. We’ll copy and paste the notes below, then bold the most important parts. But first, here is a summary of points:

• This commentary uses cutting-edge research
• It is accessible to a wide audience, from academics and pastors to educated laypeople
• It is not a verse-by-verse or section-by-section commentary
• This commentary instead focused on larger literary and thought units
• Volume authors were not chosen based on denomination, but by their learning and insight
• The Old Testament series goal is to aid Christians in becoming more competent, more engaged, and more enthusiastic readers of the Bible
• The New Testament series goal is to treat the text as the religious text it is, while putting forward with clarity and enthusiasm the religious message it is attempting to convey

Now, if you’d like to read the notes in full, you can do so! Or jump futher down in this post to learn more about the individual volumes.

A Note from Mark Biddle, Editor of Reading the Old Testament

“The Reading the Old Testament series shares many of the aims and objectives of its counterpart, Reading the New Testament. Contributors to the current series, like those to its predecessor, write with the intention of presenting ‘cutting-edge research in [a form] accessible’ to a wide audience ranging from specialists in the field to educated laypeople. The approach taken here, as there, focuses not on the minutiae of word-by-word, verse-by-verse exegesis but on larger literary and thought units, especially as they function in the overall conception of the book under analysis.

From the standpoint of method, volumes in this series will employ an eclectic variety of reading strategies and critical approaches as contributors deem appropriate for explicating the force of the text before them. Nonetheless, as in RNT, ‘the focus [will be] on a close reading of the final form of the text.’ The overarching goal is to provide readers of the commentary series with an aid to help them become more competent, more engaged, and more enthusiastic readers of the Bible as authoritative Scripture.

The title of the series prompts several comments. For the editor, at least, the term ‘Old Testament’ is a convenient convention, since any alternative seems either awkward or provocative. The Hebrew Bible is the shared heritage of Judaism and Christianity, the body of believers whom Paul once described as branches from a wild olive tree who have been ‘grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree’ (Rom 11:24). Since the beginnings of Christianity, questions concerning how and in what sense the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament functions as Christian Scripture have perpetually confronted the church.

Nonetheless, throughout its history, in the spirit of Paul, the church has insisted that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is the God of the New Testament. Rather than impose a detailed doctrine of the unity of the two Testaments or specify a particular hermeneutical approach, the editor and the publisher have chosen to invite contributions to the series from scholars selected because of their learning and insight, again in the spirit of Paul, we hope, without regard to faith tradition or denominational identity.

The books of the Hebrew Bible were the fountainhead for the faith of both Paul and Aqiba. May it be that, through the scholarship presented in the pages of this series, the books of the ‘Old Testament’ water the faith of another generation.”

A Note from Charles Talbert, Editor of Reading the New Testament

“Reading the New Testament is a commentary series that aims to present cutting-edge research in popular form that is accessible to upper-level undergraduates, seminarians, seminary-educated pastors, and educated laypeople, as well as to graduate students and professors. The volumes in this series do not follow the word-by-word, phrase-by-phrase, verse-by-verse method of traditional commentaries. Rather they are concerned to understand large thought units and their relationship to an author’s thought as a whole.

The focus is on a close reading of the final form of the text. The aim is to make one feel at home in the biblical text itself. The approach of these volumes involves a concern both for how an author communicates and what the religious point of the text is. Care is taken to relate both the how and the what of the text to its milieu: Christian (New Testament and non-canonical), Jewish (scriptural and postbiblical), and Greco-Roman. This enables both the communication strategies and the religious message of the text to be clarified against a range of historical and cultural possibilities.

Moreover, a section of commentary on a large thought unit will often contain a brief excursus on some topic raised by the material in the unit, sometimes sketching Old Testament, postbiblical Jewish, Greco-Roman, New Testament, and noncanonical Christian views on the subject. Throughout, the basic concern is to treat the New Testament texts as religious documents whose religious message needs to be set forth with compelling clarity. All other concerns are subordinated to this. It is the hope of all participants in this project that our efforts at exposition will enable the New Testament to be understood better and communicated more competently.”

Commentary Volumes and Authors

Next, let’s look at a list of the completed volumes in this series and their authors. You may or may not recognize some of these names!

Volumes in the Reading the Old Testament Series

• Reading Genesis by Julie Galambush
• Reading Deuteronomy by Stephen L. Cook
• Reading Joshua by John C. H. Laughlin
• Reading Judges by Mark E Biddle
• Reading Samuel by Johanna W. H. van Wijk-Bos
• Reading Job by James L. Crenshaw
• Reading Isaiah by Hyun Chul Paul Kim
• Reading Jeremiah by Corrine Carvalho
• Reading Ezekiel by Marvin A. Sweeney
• Reading Hosea – Micah by Terence E. Fretheim
• Reading Nahum – Malachi by Steven Tuell

Volumes in the Reading the New Testament Series

• Reading Matthew by David E. Garland
• Reading Mark by Sharyn Dowd
• Reading Luke by Charles H. Talbert
• Reading John and Johannine Epistles by Charles Talbert
• Reading Acts by Charles H. Talbert
• Reading Romans by Luke Timothy Johnson
• Reading 1 and 2 Corinthians by Charles H. Talbert
• Reading Galatians, Philippians, & 1 Thessalonians by Charles B. Cousar
• Reading Colossians, Ephesians, & 2 Thessalonians by Bonnie Thurston
• Reading Paul’s Letters to Individuals by W. Hulitt Gloer & Perry Stepp
• Reading Hebrews and James by Marie E. Isaacs
• Reading 1 Peter, Jude, and 2 Peter by Earl J. Richard
• Reading Revelation by Joseph L. Trafton

Take a Look Inside

A focus on larger passages of Scripture sets this commentary apart from others, helping readers understand the text as a whole. It captures the big picture—not getting caught in the details.

Pastors preaching through the Old and New Testaments will find this resource incredibly helpful.

Here are some examples of the commentary text.

Book Introductions

Alongside insightful commentary, Reading the New Testament Commentary and Reading the Old Testament Commentary also provide lengthy book introductions. Here you will find everything you need to know about the book’s author and purpose for writing.

Linked Verse References

Now, this is a commonly found feature in the app. But, at the same time, it is always worth noting because it is incredibly useful. Linked verse references (and footnotes and other kinds of notes) mean you don’t have to leave what you’re reading to get more in-depth information. Here’s what we mean in action:

On the left, we’ve opened the ESV to a passage in Deuteronomy. Then we used the Resource Guide tab of the Study Center to open the commentary notes related to this passage.

As a tip, do you see that link icon? We locked the window so that the Study Center will always follow along with what we are reading on the left-hand side. It’s super handy.

But, while we were reading, there was a verse reference! We don’t have Deut 1:27-28 pulled up. So, instead of scrolling further to read, you can simply tap the reference. A new window appears, like you see above. Dismiss it whenever you’re done!

Interested In This Commentary Series?

Sweet! You can head on over to our website to learn a little more about the sets and volumes. Then, whenever you’re ready, make the jump to adding these great resources to your Olive Tree library.